Multi-Country Impact Evaluation Specialist at UNICEF

 Technical leadership

• Identify opportunities for multi-country impact evaluations through rapid review of literature, synthesis and consultations with key UNICEF stakeholders, donors, and partners.
• Support the Evaluation Office and, in turn, the global evaluation function to design, manage and implement multi-country portfolios of impact evaluations in the programme areas of strategic importance.
• Serve as principal investigator and co-principal Investigator on selected impact evaluations. This includes the design and technical specifications of all impact evaluations, projects’ timelines, human resource and partnership requirements, the analysis of data collected (qualitative and quantitative) and the preparation of evaluation reports and other materials.
• Manage staff and/or consultants and collaborate closely with regional and country office evaluation specialists and programme practitioners.
• Leverage the capacity and expertise of national partners working in the thematic area and ensure visibility of UNICEF and donor efforts.
• Provide technical assistance to UNICEF regional (including but not limited to ESAR) and country offices in developing terms of reference and donor proposals for mixed-methods impact evaluations.

Standardization

• Lead the development of standardized methodological approaches, tools, analytical packages and processes in the thematic area of child protection, gender and social norms.
• Ensure cost-effectiveness, replication and harmonization of outcome and impact measurements in a credible manner.

Methodological innovation

• Contribute to and promote the diversification of methods and data to measure outcome- and impact-level change in areas with a particularly sparse impact evidence base such as fragile and humanitarian settings.
• Collaborate with global and regional evaluation teams to initiate, test and scale up innovative impact evaluation approaches in areas with recognized challenges to construct a counterfactual or reach vulnerable populations.
• Lead the development of technical guidance papers and methodological packages.

Learning and capacity development

• Support the development and roll-out of learning and capacity-building activities that raise awareness and promote the initiation, implementation, and better use of impact evaluations by UNICEF and its national partners, including academic and research institutions of the Global South.

Partnerships

• Initiate and develop internal and external partnerships, including with other UNICEF evidence divisions, multilateral and bilateral organizations, other United Nations agencies and academic institutions to increase the coverage of impact evaluations at UNICEF.

To qualify as an advocate for every child you will have…

Minimum requirements:

Education: 

• An advanced university degree (master or PhD) in social sciences (e.g., economics, public policy or a related field).

Work Experience:

• A minimum of eight years of technical leadership experience in mixed-methods impact evaluation (e.g., randomized controlled trials) within an international organization, a development agency, academia, government or the private or non-profit sector.
• Demonstrated thematic expertise in areas of child protection, gender, and social norms.
• Solid track record of leading and managing mixed-methods impact evaluations that rely on both qualitative and quantitative approaches and a variety of data collection modalities (mobile surveys, interviews, focus groups, direct and indirect observations, desk reviews).
• Demonstrated experience in the execution of complex multi-regional, multi-country initiatives.
• Interest/ability to keep up to date with the latest skills and organizational guidance in the field of evaluation and to explore innovative and creative ways to apply a combination of novel data and methodological approaches.
• Proven ability to work with internal and external stakeholders at multiple levels, including providing technical support and capacity building and establishing/managing external partnerships.

Language Requirements:

• Fluency in English; knowledge of another United Nations language (Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian or Spanish) is an asset.